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Criminal defense attorneys at Sparks Law offices strongly believe that children deserve the benefit of the doubt and should enter into adulthood with a fresh start and a clean record. The sad reality is, however, that juvenile offenders are often not given proper access to a qualified criminal defense attorney. Parents also commonly make the mistake of assuming that a juvenile crime will not follow their children into adulthood.
It is natural to make mistakes, and everybody does so once in a while, even teenagers. When they make mistakes, properly defending the adolescent will require both experience and knowledge when dealing with juvenile crimes and criminal law as it applies to young offenders. This is where a dedicated juvenile defense lawyer serving North Richland Hills, TX, comes in.
What Are Juvenile Crimes?
A juvenile crime can be described as any crime that has been committed by a minor or child who is generally under 18 years of age. Children that fit into the age group of seven years or younger are deemed incapable of committing a crime as they are too young to properly understand the difference between right and wrong. However, there may, although rare, be a possibility for a child that young to be held liable for homicide.
Difference Between the Juvenile Justice System and the Adult Criminal Justice System
There are many differences between an adult criminal justice system and a juvenile criminal justice system. To start, both are governed by separate rules and laws. There may be instances where a juvenile is processed through the adult criminal system instead. These factors are namely:
When a crime is particularly outrageous or shocking
If the juvenile is a repeat offender
To illustrate, a juvenile may be tried as an adult if they rape, sexually assault, commit homicide, or repeatedly steal. When this happens, a juvenile will normally face harsher penalties and have less of a chance of redeeming themselves through alternative forms of punishment.
What Should Be Done If a Client Is Accused of a Crime?
At the end of the day, it is the juvenile court that ultimately decides the punishment for minors. The purpose of these consequences is an attempt to educate and rehabilitate a minor, as opposed to the court simply imposing a punishment on the charged offender, as in the case with an adult. It can, therefore, be said that a minor will have a larger variety of alternative sentencing options than to the variety an adult has.
Types of punishments that the juvenile justice system may issue upon a minor can be anywhere from educational lectures to a period of confinement at a juvenile detention facility.
Legal Consequences of a Juvenile Crime
Below are some of the legal consequences for a minor being convicted for committing a juvenile crime:
Mandatory schooling
Detainment by the juvenile court system
Probation or parole
Community services
Significant fines and penalties
Depending on the age of the minors, the consequence of a conviction remaining on their permanent records for life
Likelihood of Receiving Penalties or Tried as Adults
When looking at the penalties above, the likelihood of a minor receiving them will be based on the following factors:
Type of crime that was committed
If a weapon was used during the commission of the crime
The extent of injuries or damages done as a result of the crime
How the local community and court system has reacted to the crime in question
Whether the minor has had prior convictions
A minor's home circumstances and family life
If the juvenile has any mental health conditions
Whether the young adolescent was already on parole or probation for another criminal act
A Richland Hills, TX, juvenile law attorney will help provide juveniles and their families with programs that will help the defense of the juvenile by minimizing the risk of youth from re-offending and preventing the same criminal behavior issues in the future.
Types of Juvenile Charges
Like an adult, a juvenile can be charged with any criminal offense. Other juvenile charges include:
Underage possession of alcohol
Gang involvement
Drug crimes
Vandalism
Juvenile DUI
What Constitutional Rights Do the Accused Juvenile Offenders Have?
Regardless of the fact that juvenile law matters are dealt with in civil court rather than criminal court, residents of North Richland Hills, TX, are still afforded the protections of their constitutional rights. In other words, a juvenile will have many rights that are similar to or the same as those of adult defendants.
Examples of these rights include:
A right to counsel
A right to notice of charges
The right to make a phone call
Right to cross-examine or confront witnesses
Unlike their adult counterpart, minors will not be granted access to a jury trial, nor do they have the option to post bail.
Is There a Need to Hire a Lawyer to Help with Juvenile Crimes?
Any minor who has recently been accused of a crime and is potentially facing criminal charges, such as juvenile detention, should contact a local North Richland Hills, TX, juvenile law attorney as soon as possible, if not immediately.
In North Richland Hills, TX, juvenile law lawyers are able to explain to minors what their rights as a juvenile are and help them navigate through the criminal defense system. A criminal defense lawyer or juvenile crimes attorneys in Fort Worth is also able to stand beside a juvenile in court and establish if the minor has any defenses that can be raised against their charges.
All juveniles in North Richland Hills that are facing court trials due to alleged offenses are entitled to a TX juvenile law attorney. As already mentioned, it is very important to secure legal representation if an individual is facing criminal defense charges as a juvenile.
Other North Richland Hills Practice Areas
Hire a North Richland Hills, TX, Juvenile Law Attorney at Sparks Law Firm
With regard to most legal issues, there is almost always specialized legal help. Seeking legal help is considered a smart first step to understanding the legal situations individuals are facing. An experienced personal injury attorney at Sparks Law Firm will understand the local, North Richland Hills, TX, laws that surround a case and what a person's best legal options may be.
Clients can get ahold of a Richland Hills, TX, juvenile law attorney today by calling (817) 381-7846. They can expect to receive a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer at Sparks Law Firm so that clients are provided with enough information to make informed decisions regarding whether or not they should proceed with the legal help of a Richland Hills, TX, juvenile law attorney at Sparks Law Firm.
Chances are that during this initial meeting, clients will know for how long the juvenile criminal defense attorney has been practicing law and what the expected outcome of their case will be.